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Throughout this semester I have learned so much in Bill Handy’s Social Media class. I have been exposed to “things” in the Social Media world I would have never been exposed to. For example, creating www.sociallyorange.org for the JB students at OSU and running www.propenmic.org a public relations Web site. I have learned the importance of being engaged and active in social media. It is an important networking tool to be engaged with your peers, co-workers, employers and whoever you want to be enaged with. Overall, I have learned to be actively envolved in the newest trends of social media. You can use any kind of tool you want; it could be twitter, facebook, blogging or whatever works for you. This class is great for students who are just getting into social media to people who are experts. It is ever evolving that is the beauty of social media. You will always learn something new. Bill Handy is the professor of Social Media and he has a video on www.sociallyorange.org about the importance of social media and the class. If you are interested in this class the video will be helpful in giving insight to what the class is about.

You need to look for many things when choosing a public relations institution. It may be overwhelming to begin making decisions. Having some guidelines may help reduce some of the stress. After choosing the university that is right for you, attending and graduating, having a degree that is up-to-date with what employers want is vital. Keep in mind, in general, PR people want to learn the latest and newest trends. Make sure that your institution is running parallel to this idea. The following is a compilation of tips to assist in finding the right public relations institution for you.
Upon graduating, a degree must mean something to be beneficial. Students should look for specific aspects of a good public relations institution. According to http://www.collegeboard.com a student should consider if the program is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, will the institution help you find an internship, does the program include technical and research skills, provide portfolio-appealing projects, and does the institution will help students find internships during college and jobs after graduation.
Attending an accredited program is not essential but some of the course work will allow you to gain more hands on experience. Attending an un-accredited program doesn’t mean you are unemployable but students may not have to meet requirements a graduate from an accredited program would.
Although, an internship may not be required through every program, the more professional experiences a student has, the more marketable they become. Many new programs require an internship before a student can graduate. Programs that don’t require an internship will sometimes offer credit to students for completing an internship. Most universities have career services to assist students in finding internships.
With technology growing as rapidly as it is today, students should note the universities that have technical and research programs. Computer and social media skills are becoming essential for the Public Relations field and future employers are looking for those specific skills.
When completing your class work, remember that when entering the job market most interviews will require a portfolio. Courses should create samples to build a portfolio. In your portfolio, writing samples, as well as graphic design samples, are beneficial.
With the economy’s current state, it is wisest for students to get help with their job searches through their university. Many universities offer programs and job resources for their alumni.
These are just a few of the things to look for in a high-quality public relations institution. It is also beneficial to talk to public relations professionals and get their opinions about what is important in a university. During your university hunt it helps to go into it with some sort of checklist, the items listed above are a few essentials. Regardless of the institution you choose, make sure that you will gain the knowledge you need to succeed in your career.
By:Tanner Wamsley and Brenna Bassler

In our Social Media class our professor Bill Handy suggested creating a Web site for all JB majors to have a communication tool. So, our class put together a Web site. It was easy as 1,2,3. Really! We put together the Web site called sociallyorange.org. The goal of the Web site was a common place for OSU JB students to communicate. We add “stuff” to it quite often to see what works and what doesn’t work. It has been a great success so far. There is a place for everything. When someone joins a member can have their own page and join groups within sociallyorange. It is very similar to PROpenMic if you have ever been on their page. You can add friends, blog and upload photos if you want. One of the important part about it is you can see what is currently happening in the JB school such as events and stories. Also, there is a place to look for jobs and internships. There are about 100 members so far, which is fantastic! Everyone in the JB school should join because it is a great opportunity to network and meet fellow peers. Check it our it is pretty cool! The site is http://www.sociallyorange.org

In Advanced PR Media we had a guest speaker Keira Mann. She taught our class the importance of resumes and how to put one together. Of course most of us have had resumes but how professional or put together were they? I know after I listened to her presentation I threw mine in the trash. I completely started over! She had great advice how you can put a resume together today. There are trends and fads with them so you have to keep your resume up-to-date. Here are some helpful hints she showed us…

These were helpful for me and I made an awesome and new resume that I am very proud of. There are many different ways you can do a resume you do not have to stick to anything boring and old fashioned. Make it stylish and fun to read! Make sure and use your sources to have the best resume out there because it only takes three to five seconds to toss yours in the trash. If you have any suggestions to resumes please add to the list!

Get ready world OSU PR students are taking over PROpenMic for a week! Next week the Social Media class of the Journalism and Broadcasting school of Oklahoma State University is taking over PROpenMic. The students are in charge of everything! The students in Social Media will be writing artciles, blogging, e-mailing, uploading videos and running the whole Web site. It is going to be a great way of showing off student’s skills at OSU. I can’t wait until next week it is going to be so interesting to see how it goes. I am apprehensive but I know it will be a success. Make sure y’all check out the Web site everyday to see how OSU is representing the PR community. I’m sure everyone will be proud.

Advanced PR Media is an awesome class for all JB majors to take. It helps you learn skills that other students will not know when you are entering the work force. You will work with Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Powerpoint and many others. You may already know how to make brochures, powerpoints and letterheads. In Advanced PR Media you will learn how to make those projects more professional. Also, you will be able to do a lot more with the software. It is a great way to add projects to your portfolio and show that you have many skills you can contribute to an internship or job. It is a really fun class and I suggest every student take it. Everyone will gain so much from it!

STATEments is an organization in JB. It is an a student run PR firm and it helps give students hands-on-experience. Students will write newsreleases, PSA’s, presentations to name a few. This organization shows future employers student’s determination to learn more about Public Relations. STATEments is a great opportunity to show employers your skills and talents in the pr field. Students in JB should join STATEments no matter if you are a PR major, broadcast major, journalism major or whatever else. All students will benefit from this and take away skills they will need for the future.